The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man who has become known in the western states as the ‘AK-47 bandit.’
Let me give you — my law enforcement friends — a motivation which far exceeds any dollar amount I can imagine: a friend of mine who is close to this investigation has informed me that this particular violator may be either a cop or an ex-cop.
Furthermore, he has already shot one police officer, and has apparently stated that he has no compunction about shooting another.
A Series of Robberies
On February 29, 2012 this individual robbed the California Bank & Trust in Chino, California and during his escape fired several rounds from an AK-47 rifle into a Chino PD squad car, injuring a Chino cop.
The suspect has reportedly robbed several banks since the Chino incident — in Vacaville (Calif.), North Bend (Wash.), and most recently in Rexburg (Idaho) — and is also suspected of robbing a Chase Bank in the Seattle area in July as well as an attempted robbery in Sacramento.
“In the Chino robbery,” said a report in the Los Angeles Times, “the man was captured on video wearing the ski mask and body armor over a dark, collared short-sleeved shirt and blue pants.”
In the Vacaville robbery, he wore a green mesh vest with a “Sheriff” patch on the back.
During the Idaho robbery, the suspect apparently stated that he was a “cop in California” and that he had already “shot a cop.”
This individual — and I’m using civilized language although the word that springs immediately to mind is anything but civilized — is believed to be a white male, approximately 25-40 years old, roughly six feet tall, and about 200 pounds.
He also apparently has blue eyes.
In the Chino and Rexburg robberies, he fled in a dark gray, four-door, Nissan Maxima (model year 2009-2011) with dark tinted windows and stock chrome wheels.
LEO-Only 43...
The detail about our suspect possibly being in law enforcement is not being distributed to the mainstream media — although it is sure to get out at some point — which is why you are reading this column in the secure, LEO-only section of the Police1 website.
Without even knowing the myriad details to which my unnamed source on this is certainly aware, my own review of available open-source information leads me to a similar conclusion. The tactics employed are at the very least informed by some understanding of law enforcement, if not actual law enforcement experience.
Due to the suspect’s comments about being a “cop in California” my contacts at Chino PD have asked that anyone with knowledge of any officer who may have separated employment with a law enforcement type agency, who may have access to a similar vehicle (the Nissan Maxima), an AK-47 rifle (with or without a drum magazine), a mesh Sheriff vest, and/or a blue ballistic vest, please contact Detective Dominguez via phone at 909-334-3124 or via email at cdominguez@chinopd.org.
Remember: this guy has already shot a cop and has subsequently said he’s unafraid of shooting another.
Stay safe out there my friends.
FBI Videos
